When you love leather and your work dress code permits wearing the hide, read how you can style leather pants for work. Because these bottoms are typically worn at temperatures 32F to 50F (0-10C), this post also addresses what outerwear to wear with leather pants to look work appropriate when meeting with customers.
- How to Wear Leather Pants to Work
- Pleated Leather Dress Pants with Sweater and Scarf
- Nappa Trousers Styled with a Twinset
- Try an American Classic Look
- Doubling on the Statement Pieces: Red blazer plus Leather Pants
- What Outerwear Works with Leather Pants?
- Wrap-up of How You Can Style Leather Pants for Work
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How to Wear Leather Pants to Work
Yes, you can look posh in leather over 40. When your work dress code allows wearing leather, try these outfit ideas. They illustrate how to wear leather pants to work and look professional, but casual look. Chose a neutral color for your pants so they stay in basics territory just having a statement material. Then pair them with classic work-appropriate pieces like a blazer with button-down shirt or cashmere sweater or a twinset with necklace. Go for a dress-pants-like cut, i.e. not tight like motorcycle pants or skinny jeans.
Tip: Pair leather dress pants with a classic top and jacket for Casual Friday outfits.
Pleated Leather Dress Pants with Sweater and Scarf
Pleated dress pants are a Business Casual style classic. If your leather pants are pleated, going for a classic of trousers, scarf, necklace and cashmere sweater is work appropriate. This examples shows you to style the work outfit around the blue, black and white color shades to achieve a professional look despite wearing leather dress pants.
Plaid Blazer with Leather Trousers Outfit Idea
When wearing leather trousers with a classic blazer and cashmere sweater add booties or shoes that are office appropriate. Stay out of the street style or Rock’n Roll territory when wearing the hide at work.
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Nappa Trousers Styled with a Twinset
Instead of a blazer, another possibility is to pair them with a classic twinset or variations of a twinset. The outfit idea below shows a monochromatic look with a faux twinset. Of course, you can go for a pop of color. For instance, white leather trousers paired with a faux twinset in navy and pink.
This example outfit is a mix of trends (cheap) and essentials. I got the silver leather pants on sale, while the cashmere sweater and cardigan are essentials that I spent comparatively more on. With both I look for a good price performance ratio. That means the longer I expect to wear an item the more I would be willing to spend on it.
If I go for trendy items and have in mind to wear them for a season, let’s say 20 times, the price per wear should go down to at least less than $2. Why would I buy silver leather pants? Well I am a ballroom dancer which means I have lots of opportunities to wear silver leather pants.
This means that a great trend item for one person will not be a great deal for another. The price-per-wear for these silver leather pants would never go down to $2 per wear for someone who is not a dancer. The take home message:
Buy the trendy items for the life you live.
Try an American Classic look
Yes, you can wear leather in summer. In a casual work environment, your may even wear leather capris when you style them like Jackie Kennedy wore her fabric capris.
The most important thing when wearing leather at work is to style your leather powerful, not provocative.
Doubling on the Statement Pieces: Red Blazer plus Leather Pants
This American Classic style outfit suggestion incorporates two statement pieces: A red blazer and leather pants. This look reads serious and professional because it uses the rule of repeating the major colors three times. Brown occurs with the belt, pants and layering top, while the blazer, booties and makeup (lips) repeat the red.
Tip: Go for two colors and repeat them for best style.
Red and chocolate together are safer to wear at work than the classic red and black color combination. The red-chocolate brown pairing also adds a modern and interesting twist that is chic and posh.
What Outerwear Works with Leather Pants?
What outerwear to wear with leather pants, of course, depends on the weather. When relative humidity is high or it is rainy, a trench coat, pea-coat, or duffle coat are your best options. They avoid that potential rain ruins your bottoms and stains your skin.
When wearing leather pants, try a pea coat. This example uses the concept of repeating colors. All have brown shades and added red gloves and a red floral scarf to tie the red booties into the outfit. See here again the red repeats in the outerwear.
Especially, when your job involves meeting clients outside of your office pay attention to styling your outerwear. When you meet with clients outside, your outerwear becomes part of your work wear. This mean your outerwear is not just for insulation, fun with fashion and style. On the contrary, when your job involves meeting customers/clients outside the office, you will need to build a capsule coat wardrobe.
The next example shows the indoor outfit and an inspiration what to wear over a pair of trousers in a statement hue.
Wrap-Up on How You Can Style Leather Pants for Work
When your work dress code allows wearing leather go for a dress pants cut. Style them like you would style trousers by adding classic pieces like a twinset or blazer. Go with a neutral color for the pants like cream, chocolate brown or even silver. Black can fast read motorcycle chic.
Do you want to jump the bandwagon on the leather pants trend, but are not sure what to look for when shopping for leather clothes?
Further readings: how to style a black leather look or even a trendy black leather suit, as well as gold leather shorts, and a maxi leather skirt.
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Photos: G. Kramm
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